Why do some cats play with dogs even though they are enemies?

You must have seen many funny videos on the Internet, where a cat and a dog are playing together happily. Or maybe you have seen a dog and a bearded dragon, a lizard-like reptile, having a great time together! Dogs and cats are eternal enemies, and dogs and reptiles are completely different. So how do they play with each other?

Once in a park in Germany, a young ring-tailed lemur suddenly jumped on the body of a much larger and older ruffed lemur! After jumping, the small lemur gently slapped the big lemur and held it by the shoulders. But the big and strong ruffed lemur did not stop the game out of anger! On the contrary, he lay down on his back, kept his mouth open, and let the small lemur play on his body in a completely calm and relaxed posture.

Such a funny wrestling incident between two animals of different species attracted the special attention of researchers. A report on this was published in the scientific journal Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution in February. Scientists call this rare and risky game interspecies play.

 Learning through play 💗

Animals that live in groups love to play. Scientists believe that through play, young animals form social bonds with each other, learn new things and help maintain physical balance. Playfighting or fighting in the form of play is the most common among group animals. But when play goes beyond their own species, scientists are quite surprised.

Usually, animals of the same species play together. Because their language or physical gestures are similar. They can easily understand when the game is going too far or turning into a fight. But playing between different species is a very risky activity. Because if the gestures are misunderstood, it can become fatal.

Heather J. B. Brooks, an animal behaviorist and postdoctoral researcher at the University of Colorado, reviewed the report of the lemur. She said that when a playmate no longer wants to play, if he does not understand the gestures and continues to annoy him, it can turn into a real fight and lead to the risk of physical and social harm. If one animal has sharp teeth, claws, or horns and the other does not, the game is likely to have very bad consequences.

Why do they play together despite all the danger?

A big reason for this is that they are close together or familiar. Animals in human care are much closer than in the wild. Brooks says that being so close makes the animals feel much more comfortable with each other and become confident in reading the play signals of other animals correctly.

For example, ring-tailed and ruffed lemurs do not usually live together in the wild. But living together in a zoo or park under human care allows them to get close to each other and develop enough understanding to play together. The same dynamic works in the case of dogs and cats, or dogs and bearded dragons, who have grown up together in a house.

In addition, animals in the wild have to find food or escape from predators. But in captivity with humans, animals have a lot of extra energy stored in their bodies, which they balance through play.

Why are young animals more courageous?

In the wild, young animals play more than adults. Because their parents' care easily meets all their own needs. So when the mother is resting, the cubs look for a playmate, even if the partner is of a different species, they have no objection!

The famous zoologist Jane Goodall saw such a wonderful, but strange play relationship between a young chimpanzee named Ferdinand and a young olive baboon in Gombe Stream National Park. However, Brooks reminds us that when they grow up, the chimpanzees hunt and eat these olive baboons! So there is always a risk of danger hidden in play here. Brooks also said that young animals that do not find a partner of their own species are more interested in playing with other species.

Research has shown that it is often easier for young animals to go to an adult animal of another species and invite them to play than to the adults of their own group. It may sound strange, but it's a smart move. When there's a lot of competition or aggressive behavior within your own group, it's not a problem to approach a member of another species. The case of that lemur is a good example of this. Even though other ring-tailed lemurs were present, the young lemur started playing with the adult ruffed lemur.

Is it thrill or power?

In many cases of play between different species, the two animals are essentially the prey and the predator. According to Brooks, this play between the prey and the predator may have a practical purpose. Through this, they may get an early idea of ​​​​their ability to hunt or escape from prey in the future.

However, Brooks thinks that there may be a simpler explanation behind this interspecies play. That is thrill! Many animals, including humans, love to test their physical limits in a way that involves the risk of injury or worse. In humans, we know that such challenges create an adrenaline rush in our bodies, which makes the game more exciting. Perhaps the same thing happens with animals! Who knows, maybe they have more fun playing with a baboon than with another chimpanzee!